Additional Information

This is the ninth release in the series Flora & Fauna of Luxembourg, and features the common reed.

The common reed (phragmites australis) occurs along the margins of lakes, fens, marshes, and streams from the Arctic to the tropics. It is a broad-leafed grass, about 1.5 to 5 metres (5 to 16.5 feet) tall, with feathery flower clusters and stiff, smooth stems.

Dried reed stems have been used for millennia as thatching and construction material, in basketry, for arrows and pens, and in musical instruments. They also are harvested for their cellulose content.